![\"scalpelscape\"](\"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/scalpelscape.jpg\")
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\nThe board shear is absolutely my favorite tool in the entire Lab. It\u2019s basically a huge paper cutter with a guide for accurate measuring, a guard to keep limbs intact and a foot pedal that activates a clamp to keep the material being cut from shifting. It can cut the thick cardboard we use to make clamshell box enclosures and it\u2019s also great when we need to cut very large sheets of paper. It gives a nice straight edge and precise square corners.<\/p>\n
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\nA lot of waste paper gets used here. We use leftover scraps of paper or cut up sheets of newsprint. Sometimes we need a piece of waste paper in a hurry and can\u2019t find the right size at hand so we cut a piece to size by folding it and pulling our bone folder down the edge of the fold, by placing a heavy straight edge on it and pulling the paper up against it, or even by placing the paper on the square outer edge of our work bench and pulling down.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nJapanese kozo paper requires a special approach. One of its most important characteristics is its long, flexible fibers. If we cut the paper so its edge is feathered a small piece of paper can have a strong hold when repairing a tear. Depending on the amount of feathering desired we use a # 23 scalpel, an awl, or a water pen drawn along a straight edge. Then we gently pull the two pieces apart.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nWe actually do use scissors sometimes. We have different types of those too. The regular ones are used when precision is not mandated. \u00a0The small ones are great for trimming excess paper in tight areas where a scalpel and self-healing mat won\u2019t fit. We have non-stick scissors for cutting things with sticky adhesive on them and carpet shears which are useful because they hold your hand out of the way from the material being cut \u2013 very handy when cutting
\nLightweight utility knives with snap-off blades are good for intricate cuts when making corrugated cardboard boxes. Large ones help with cutting details in the heftier binder\u2019s board.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThen there are the paper trimmers. They are like a small board shear. They too have a guide and a guard but they use a manual clamp instead of a foot clamp to help keep the paper from shifting in the middle of a cut. We use them when we need a very straight, square cut and the piece of paper is too small for the board shear.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThe guillotine cutter allows us to cut a stack of paper almost an inch and a half thick. This is great when we have a book with uncut pages or when we are creating book models. Sometimes a book with uncut pages is too thick or delicate for the guillotine and then we would use a page separator. This functions a little like a letter-opener and has a dull edge so as not to accidentally poke or slice through the paper of the joined pages as you slide the knife between them.<\/p>\n